Stoke City could suffer heavy defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is finally getting the side playing in his image and enjoying consistency.

Stoke City travel to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City in the Premier League on Wednesday evening, in a game that could be one-sided given the contrasting form of the two clubs.

Stoke have been inconsistent all season and can’t buy a win on the road ahead of a trip to face an in-form Sky Blues side boasting two or more goals in each of their last five home games.

Man City strong at home, Stoke woeful on their travels

Manchester City are currently third in the Premier League table with 55 points from 26 games this season, having won four on the bounce ahead of the Stoke City clash. Pep Guardiola’s men have been even more impressive on home soil, boasting four wins and a draw from their last five at the Etihad Stadium, losing only once in the league in their own backyard in 2016/17. And for everything good about Manchester City ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, there is a lot bad about Stoke which should yield a home win.

Mark Hughes’ Stoke City side find themselves ninth in the division with 35 points from 27 games, coming off the back of two wins, two defeats and two draws from their previous half a dozen outings. Away from home, the Potters suffered five defeats from six matches and have shipped 17 goals in the process. Such a porous backline could be exposed by the Sky Blues this week, and their one-sided head-to-head record in the Premier League might also be an omen.

Head-to-head record makes bad reading for Stoke City

Since their promotion to the Premier League in 2008, Stoke City have managed just three wins from 17 meetings with Manchester City. They were well-beaten last season, losing home and away, conceding eight goals and scoring just once. At the Etihad Stadium, Stoke have managed just one win in eight meetings, losing the remaining seven, and it’s hard to see anything other than a home win this week as a result. The Sky Blues have scored four or more goals in three of their last four head-to-heads in the league.

Stoke have suffered with a lack of goals in this fixture, scoring one or less in all but one of the 17 meetings – Dec 5, 2015: Stoke City 2-0 Manchester City. They haven’t beaten any Premier League side in the top-six of the table this season, let alone their poor record against the Citizens, and Manchester City are 1/4 to win against Stoke City on Wednesday as a result.